Air translating apparatus



June 16, 1953 A A 9, 2,642,220

AIR TRANSLATING APPARATUS Filed Oct. 20, 1951 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 WITNESSES: mvENTOR GUSTAV H. KOCH xx. w. M W-JL v v y-W ATTORNEY June 16, 1953 Filed 001;. 2d, 1951 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR GUSTAV H. KOCH TToRNE Y Patented June 16, 1953 AIR TRAN SLATING APPARATUS Gustav H. Koch, Springfield, Mass., assignor t Westinghouse Electric Corporation, East Pittsburgh, Pa., a corporation of Pennsylvania Application October '20, 1951, Serial No. 252,25

4 Claims. (Cl. 230241) This invention relates to an air circulator of the radial discharge or floor type, more particularly to an air circulator adapted for use'as a table.

It is an object of the invention to provide an air circulator of this type which is adapted to accommodate a serving tray either on top thereof while in use or to store the same when not in In accordance with my invention, I provide an air circulator having a deflector member providing an air deflector of inverted cone shape to provide radial discharge of the air. The peripheral portion of the deflector member is extended upwardly to provide an open-top storage compartment for the serving tray. The air circulator is provided with a removable cover member which forms a closure for the top of the storage compartment and which is further provided with a raised peripheral portion so as to retain the tray thereon when the latter is in use.

These and other objects are effected by my invention as will be apparentfrom the following description and claims taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this application, in which:

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a floor type air circulator incorporating my invention, the tray being shown in the serving position;

Fig. 2 is a vertical cross section of the device, with parts in elevation, showing the tray in the storage position and the cover raised; and

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary vertical section of the device with the tray in the serving position.

Referring to the. drawings in detail, there is shown an air circulator of the radial discharge or floor type having an electric motor l2 disposed with its shaft upright, said shaft carrying a propeller fan I4 at the upper end thereof. The motor is disposed in the lower portion of the circulator and is supported within a cylindrical guard cage or casing I6. Although the casing I6 may be of any desired construction, I have shown it as being formed-in part by a plurality of shroud vanes l8 mounted in spaced relation to each other on a plurality of vertical support members 20. The casing l6 further includes a wire guard structure 22 of cylindrical shape, supported by the upper portions of the support members 20.

The wire guard structure 22 is formed of a plurality of wire rings 24 connected to each other by a plurality of vertically disposed wire members 26. The upper ends of the wire members 26 are flattened and support an air stream deflector member 28. The deflector member 28 is circular in shape and closes the upper end of the wire guard structure 22. The deflector member 28 may be formed of drawn sheet metal and is substantially pan-like in shape, having an inverted conical deflector portion 30 and an up- ,wardly extending cylindrical wall portion 32.

It forms a compartment 42 having an access opening 44 at the top. A cover 36 is'provided to form a closure for the'open top of the compartment. The cover 36 has its marginal portion bent upwardly and then outwardly to form a raised peripheral lip portion 38. A circular recess portion 40 is provided in the central portion of the cover by the raised peripheral lip portion 38. I

The cover 361s supported by fingers 33, Which are fastened to the upper ends of the wire members 26, and which then extend upwardly and outwardly therefrom and which are then curved to conform to the under surface of the lip portion 38. The fingers 33may be covered with resilient pads 4| to provide sound insulation between the fingers and the cover, in order to make the operation of removing or replacing the cover noiseless and to impart a feeling of solidity to the structure. When the cover 36 is in position resting on the fingers 33, as shown in Fig. 3, the compartment 42 is closed and partially hidden from the observer.

A serving tray 46 of a size to fit within the compartment 42 is provided. Although the tray may be of any configuration, I have shown it as being circular in outline and having a bottom wall portion 48 and a wire rail 50 supported at the edge portions of the'wall 4'3; The rail 50 extends upwardly and serves as a means for lifting thetray from the compartment 42 and for retaining dishes, glasses, etc., thereon. The

recess 40 in the cover is of suiicient depth and of sumcient lateral extent to properly hold the tray when in' the position shown in Figs. 1 and 3.

With this arrangement, when the tray in the serving position, the possibility of the tray sliding from the cover 36 is minimized, since it is retained therein by the raised portion 38. Also, the raised portion of the cover reduces thepossibility of dishes, glasses and the like sliding or beto provide an intake of air through the casing by the suction created by the fan I4. The air entering between the shroud vanes is deflected vertically upward by the shape of the vanes and propelled upwardly by the fan against the conical deflector portion 30, which deflects the air and causes it to be discharged outwardly through the wire guard structure 22 in substantially horizontally disposed radial lines.

The circulator may be mounted on a plurality of foot members 54, the foot members be-..

ing attached to the support members and serving to space the device from the floor. Air from the room will also be drawn through the space formed by the foot members 54 into the casing l6 and diverted upwardly by the suction created by the fan l4.

With the arrangement described, a compact and useful device is provided which serves several purposes. For example, the unit may be utilized as an air circulator alone by energizing the fan motor to circulate the air in a room when desired. Also, the device may be utilized as a serving table or cocktail table with the fan operating or not operating, as desired. Articles of various types may be placed on the cover, such as flowers or the like. The compartment may be utilized for storing the tray and other articles besides the tray, since there is sufficient space above the tray for this purpose. If desired, the tray may be removed for serving purposes and the compartment utilized for storing other articles.

The added utility attained in accordance with the teachings of my invention are secured with practically no increase in cost of the unit, since the compartment is formed by the deflector member 28 which is provided in an air circulator of the radial discharge of floor type.

While I have shown my invention in but one form, it will be obvious to those skilled in the art that it is not so limited, but is susceptible of various changes and modifications without departing from the spirit thereof.

What I claim is:

l. A combined air circulator and table comprising a vertical axis propeller fan operable to effect flow of air upwardly, a guard cage encompassing said propeller fan, said guard cage having a defiector member disposed above said fan and including an inverted conical portion serving to deflect the flow of air from upward to horizontal, said deflector member defining an open-top tray storage compartment of which said inverted conical portion forms the bottom wall, a cover for closing the top of said compartment, said cover having an upturned peripheral lip portion and a serving tray adapted to be disposed within said compartment with said cover in place for stor- 2. A combination air circulator and serving table comprising a vertical axis propeller fan operable to direct air upwardly, a guard cage enclosing said propeller fan, said guard cage hav ing a deflector member defining a tray storage compartment and including an air deflector portion of inverted conical shape forming the bottom wall of said compartment and a vertical wall extending upwardly from the periphery of said deflector portion, said deflector portion serving to deflect the flow of air from upward to horizontal, a cover for said compartment having an upwardly projecting lip portion disposed about the periphery thereof, and a serving tray adapted to be supported on said cover within said lip portion when in use, and adapted to be disposed within said compartment with said cover in place for storage.

. 3. A combination air circulator and serving table comprising an upright casing having a compartment in its upper portion, said compartment having an opening at the upper end and having a bottom wall portion serving as an air stream deflector, a propeller fan disposed within said casing and operable to ellect flow of air upwardly against said bottom wall, said bottom wall serving to deflect said flow of air outwardly, a detachable cover for said compartment, and a serving tray receivable within said compartment for storage purposes, said tray being removable through said opening, said cover having a depressed central portion and said tray being supportable by said cover when in use, said tray being of an outline similar to but of smaller horizontal area than said central portion and being supportable by said cover within said central portion. 7

4. A combination air circulator and serving table comprising a vertical axis propeller fan operable to direct air upwardly, a guard cage enclosing said propeller fan, said guard cage having a deflector member defining a tray storage age and being adapted when in use to be supso ported on said cover within said peripheral lip portion.

compartment and including an air deflector portion forming the'bottom wall of said compartment and a vertical wall extending upwardly from the periphery of said deflector portion, said deflector portion serving to deflect the upward flow of air outwardly, a cover for said. compartment having an upwardly projecting lip portion disposed about the periphery thereof, and a serving tray adapted to be supported on said cover within said lip portion when in use and adapted to be disposed within said compartment with said cover in place for storage.

GUSTAV H. KOCH.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 750,716 Smith Jan. 26, 1904 2,572,120 Dixon Oct. 23, 1951 

